Condition responsive controller



Feb. 9, 1943. JOESTlNG 2,310,293

CONDITION RESPONSIVE CONTROLLER.

Fi1 ed April 18, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet l TO DEVICE.

SUPPLY 34 I 33 P {y l L J 42 INVENTOR.

zuflcricK. fD. Joesh'. rug BY Feb. 9, 1943. D JOESTING 2,310,293

CONDITION RESPONS IVE CONTROLLER Filed April 18, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I Fig.3

1N VENT OR. Fraflnrickfl 'D. Joos'king' BY fi aekaw Afforncy" Fatented eh. $91943 oonmrron ansronsrvs con-mount:

Frederick D. Joesting, Oak Park, Ill., asslgnor to Minneapolis-Honeywell Regulator Company, Minneapolis, Minn, a corporation of Delaware Application April 18, 1941, Serial No. 389,188-

Claims. (01. 236-1) This invention relates to the art of condition responsive controllers and is particularly directed to the'construction f a pneumatic thermostat.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a condition responsive controller of the pneumatic type in which a single sensitive element will increase the control air pressure on anincrease in the value of the condition or decrease the control air pressureon an increase in the value of the condition as desired. This changeover would commonly be termed a change from direct acting to reverse acting.

Another object of the invention is to provide an instrument of the above mentioned characterisacting.

values.

ings and from the specification.

In the drawings,

winter pneumatic thermostat,

with the cover removed, and

control line.

tics in which the change from direct acting to the auxilia y S, which o ra Places the reverse acting or vice verse. is accomplished by Summer linkage Out Operation and releases the a changein the pressure of the supply air. winter linkage for controlling the branch line Another object is to provide a pneumatic therp essur at a diffe e Va and d a mostat of the summer-winter type in which the r e than "reve se act n change from direct acting to freverse acting For the purpose of illustration, a d a rammatic or vice verse is accomplished by a change in th view, Fi has n e to n l 1 Simple pressure of the supply air. explanation of the device.

Another object is to provide a condition responthe instrument as it is actually be g bu t- C0 sive controller of the pneumatic typ having a responding reference characters are used on the single sensitive element and a single valve which Corresponding Parts Of a e fi may be changed from direct acting to reverse The various Parts Of the instrument are 11101111 ed on a pressed metal frame it as seen in Figs. 2

Another object of the invention is to provide a and Fmme W has n illustrated d condition responsive controller which is adapted maticfllly in Fig- 1 by a 8 8 1 8 which upp to control the value of the condition at either in s v r pl in he v ew. Athermostatic belof two separate and independently adjustable lows H of t e vo t e fill type is mounted on the frame it and engages an operating lever 52 at a (Ether objects wiil be apparent from the draw- DOint approximately w y w e t e ends o the lever 62 in a pivot 64. The upper end of operating lever it, as seen in Figs. 1 and 2, en-

Fig. i is a diagrammatic showing of a, Summergages a winter lever 55 which includes a vertical portion l8 and a horizontal portion i'i pivoted in Fig. 2 is a plan view of the actual instrument I the frame W at An a nt spr 2| v acting in compression extends between the ver- Fig. 3 is an elevation, partly i ti tak tical portion 86 of the lever 15 and a winter seton line 3-3 of Fig, 2, ting screw 23 which is carried by the frame ill.

The illustrative embodiment of the invention is The lower end o the Operating ever l2 e a e a pneumatic u mt t t t in the summer lever 25 which comprises a vertical which a single thermostatic element operates a portion 26 and a horizontal portion lvpiv 'wd n single valve unit for controlling the pressure in a the frame at An adjusting Spring 29 Two t of linkages are provided ing in compression extends between the vertical between the thermostatic element and the valve, Portion 25 0f h level 25 and Summer Setting one of the linkages being used during the winter Screw 30 which 15 carried by e frame or when heating is required and the other'linkage With the various parts in the position shown, being used in the summer or when cooling is 60 the instrument is in a condition to operate direquired. Th control is direct acting i th rect acting and is therefore on the winter cycle. winter andreverse acting in the summer. By Hence the winter lever i5 is in operation and the this is meant that during the winter the thermosummer lever 25 has been rendered inoperative. static element operates the valve to increase the Compressed air i Supplied to the system at. 33

control line pressure as the temperature increases the summer linkage. Likewise in the winter the supply pressure may be set at seventeen pounds causing the relay to bleed the air pressure from Figs. 2 and 3 show to a three-way valve 33 which in the position shown transmits the air directly to the instrument. -It will be understood that some automatic means such as an outdoor thermostat could be used-to perform the function of the three way valve 34. The air supply is transmitted to a relay 35 and is impressed on a diaphragm 81 which at seventeen pounds pressure opens a bleed valve 38 and closes a supply valve 39 to an auxiliary bellows 4| which is mounted on the frame In of the instrument. For a more completesh'owing of the relay unit 35 reference may be had to my co-pending application, Serial No. 350,003, filed August 2,1940. The bellows 4| is now collapsed. In the summer the valve 84 is positioned to supply air to a reducing valve 42 which reduces the air pressure to thirteen pounds. When this pressure acts on the diaphragm 31 of the relay 35, it will move to the right closing the bleed valve 38 and opening the supply valve 39 to supply the full thirteen pounds pressure to the bellows ll.

The pressure will overcome the force of spring 44. When no pressure is impressed on the bellows 4| it will assume the collapsed position shown, permitting the spring 44 to move the rod 45 downwardly. The rod 45 is pivoted to a switching lever 41 which in turn is pivoted at 48 in the frame Ill. The switching lever 41 is supplied with an abutment 50 which is adapted to engage the summer lever 25 and an abutment 52 which is adapted to engage the winter lever l5. In the actual instrument the abutment 52 is a tension member since the summer lever 25 and the winter lever I5 are mounted side by side with the switching lever 41 above both of them. The summer lever 25 is supplied with a stop screw 53 which engages the frame l when the abutment 50 of the switching lever 41 is forced downwardly by the spring 44. In this position the summer lever 25 is rendered inoperative. Likewise when pressure is supplied to the bellows 4| the spring is compressed and the switching lever 41 is moved upwardly so that the summer lever 25 is released and the abutment 52 engages the winter lever l to rotate it 'in a clockwise direction until the winter stop screw 55 engages the frame H). In this position the winter lever is rendered inoperative and the thermostatic bellows H is free to position the summer lever 25.

The winter lever I5 is supplied with an adjustment button 51 which forms a connection bethe rod 55. Hence the pressure supplied to the device being controlled, which is the pressure beneath the diaphragm 55, will depend on the force exerted by the rod 55, which in turn depends on the pressure within the thermostatic bellows H, the adjustment of the spring 2|, and the location of the adjustment button 51 which determines the over-all lever ratio.

The summer lever is also supplied with an adjustment button which engages the lever 58 when air pressure is supplied to the bellows 4| to release the summer lever and force the stop 55 of the winter lever l5 into engagement with the frame l0. With the device operating on the winter cycle as shown, the summer lever 25 has been moved in a counter-clockwise direction and the stop screw 53 has engaged the frame l0. With the parts in this position the lows 4| is filled with air under pressure, the stop tween the lever l5 and a valve operating lever 58 which is pivoted at 59 to the frame ID. The valve operating lever 58 in turn positions a reduction lever B! pivoted in the frame [0 at 62 which actuates the valve device 63. The showing in Fig. 1 of the valve device 63 is somewhat diagrammatic; For a detailed description of this valve device reference may be had to my copending application, Serial No. 350,003, filed August 2, 1940. The reduction lever 6| operates the valve by means of a rod 65 which passes through a diaphragm 66. As the rod 65 moves downwardly from the position shown, lever 51 pivots in a counterclockwise direction about the vent valve 68 to open the supply valve 69. Likewise as the rod 65 moves upwardly the lever 61 screw 55 of the winter lever I5 engages the frame l0 and the operating lever l2 rotates about its pivot in the winter lever I5 to position the summer lever 25. I

-It will be noted that as the temperature increases the pressure within the thermostatic bellow's II also increases. The winter lever I5 will be rotated slightly in a counter-clockwise direction and the winter adjustment button 51 will transmit this movement to the lever 58 to rotate it in a, clockwise direction to exert a greater downward force on the rod 65. This will open the supply valve to increase the branch line pressure supplied to the device being controlled. When the branch line pressure is increased to the proper value the supply valve will be closed again. On the other hand, during summer operation an increase in pressure in the thermostatic bellows II will rotate the summer lever 25 slightly in a counter-clockwise direction, but this movement will be transmitted through the summer adjustment button 1| to the lever 58 to move it in a counter-clockwise direction which'will act on the valve 63 to reduce the branch line pressure. Thus it will be noted that the device is direct acting in winter and reverse acting in summer.

The valve unit 63 is the same unit which is used on other devices built by the same manufacturer.

This is done in order to reduce manufacturing plate 15 for mounting it on the wall of a room. I

A suitable cover (not shown) is also supplied with the instrument. The cover is provided with an opening through which temperature setting indicators may be seen. These'indicators are of the type shown in my copending application, Serial No. 350,003 filed August 2, 1940. The Winter adjustment spring 2| is mounted on a spring abutment nut 14 which is in turn screw threaded on av calibration nut 16 and the summer adjustment spring 29 is mounted on a spring abutment nut 11 which is in turn screw threaded on a summer calibration nut 18. These calibration nuts are in turn screw threaded on the correspondingsetting screws. In this way provision is made for calibrating the springs withv respect to the temperature setting indicators. The temperature setting may then be varied as desired by means of the winter setting screw 23 and the summer setting screws 30. A winter temperature setting indicator 19 is secured to the winter calibration nut 16 and cooperates with suitable indicia on a scale 80 the bottom edge of which is seen in Figure 3, which is secured to the frame Iii. Likewise a summer temperature indicator 8| is secured to the summer calibration nut 18. This indicator also cooperates with the scale 80 and both the summer and winter indicators are visible through the opening in the cover. Adjustment of the control point of the instrument which is the temperature indicated by the winter indicator .18 or by the winter indicator 8| is accomplished by adjustment of the corresponding setting screws 23 and 30. By turning---the spring abutment nut I4 on the winter calibration nut 16 the tension of spring 2| may be varied so that the device will control at the indicated temperature. The relation between the summer indicator 8! and the tension of spring 28 may be varied in a similar manner. The winter indicator [9 is so formed as to cooperate with a post 83 which is secured to the frame ID to prevent rotation of the calibration nut as the setting screw is turned. The summer indicator BI is also provided with a portion which cooperates with the post 83 for the same purpose.

As seen in Fig. 2, the summer adjustment button H and the winter adjustment button 51 are mounted in slots in their corresponding levers so that they may be moved longitudinally to change the lever ratio between the thermostatic bellows and the valve operating lever 58. As these adjustment buttons are moved outwardly from the pivots of the corresponding levers, the thermostatic bellows has a smaller leverage on the valve operating lever 58 and hence a greater change in force at the thermostatic bellows is necessary to produce a predetermined change in the downward force on the diaphragm 68 of the valve unit 63. Therefore moving the adjustment buttons outwardly causes the device to operate with a greater differential. With the adjustment button moved to its innermost position a change of only 3' F. may be sufficient to change the branch line pressure from zero to supply pressure, while when the button is moved to its outermost position a temperature change of 10 F. may be necessary to cause the same pressure change.

While most of the features of this invention are directed to a pneumatic summer-winter thermostat, there are certain features which would be equally applicable to a thermostat adapted to actuate an electric switch. Likewise other features of the invention would be equally applicable to a thermostat with which it was desired to merely change the control point of the instrument rather than change from direct to reverse acting. Also it is not essential that the condition respon sive element be sensitive to temperature but it might equally well be a pressure responsive bellows or some instrumentality responsive to humidity. It is to be understood that I am not to be limited to the specific disclosure of the illustrative embodiment of the invention but am to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a pneumatic control device, in combination, control valve means for determining the pressure in a control line, first linkage means for operating said valve means, second linkage means for operating said valve means, a lever connecting said linkage means, a condition responsive element acting on said lever at a point intermediate its ends, and means for rendering said first or said second linkage means efiective selectively to transmit force produced by said element to said valve means.

2. In a pneumatic control device, in combination, control valve means for determining the pressure in a control line, first linkage means for operating said valve means, second linkage means for operating said valve means, a lever connecting said linkage means, a condition responsive element acting on said lever at a point intermediate its ends, means for rendering said first or said second linkage means effective selectively to transmit force produced by said element to said valve means, means associated with said first linkage means for adjusting the value of the condition at which said element actuates said valve means when said 'valve means is positioned through said first linkage means, and means associated with said second linkage means for adjusting the value of the condition at which said element actuates said valve means when said valve means is positioned through said second linkage means.

3. In a pneumatic control instrument, in come bination, control valve means for determining the pressure in a control line, a primary lever adapted to actuate said valve means, a pair of secondary levers each of which is adapted to position said primary lever, an operating lever pivoted to each of said secondary levers, a condition responsive element for positioning a point on said operating lever intermediate its points of connection to said secondary levers, and means for rendering either of said secondary levers effective selectively to transmit force produced by said element to said valve means.

4. In a pneumatic control instrument, in combination, control valve means for determining the pressure in a control line, a primary lever adapted to actuate said valve means. a pair of secondary levers each of which is adapted to position said primary lever, an operating lever pivoted to each of said secondary levers, a condition responsive element for positioning a point on said operating secondary levers, means for rendering either of said secondary levers effective selectively to transmit force produced by said element to said valve means, and adjusting spring means acting on said secondary levers to determine the control point of the instrument when either of said secondary levers is effective.

5. In a summer-winter pneumatic thermostat. in combination, a base, control valve means, a primary lever pivoted in said base for positioning said valve means, a pair of secondary lever pivoted in said base on axes parallel to the pivot for said primary lever and between the pivot for said primary lever and the point at which it actuates said valve means,.connections between said secondary lever and said primary lever, one of said connections being located between the pivots for the primary lever and for the associated secondary lever and the other connection being located on the opposite side of the secondary lever pivot, an operating lever pivoted in each of said secondary levers, a temperature responsive bellows said operating lever intermediate its pivots in said secondary levers, a pair of adjusting springs acting between said base and said secondary levers to oppose through said operating lever expansion of said bellows, and means for renderin either of said secondary levers efiective selectively to transmit force produced by said bellows to said valve means.

6. In a pneumatic control instrument, in combination. a pair of levers, a condition responsive element for positioning said levers, a control valve unit, a valve operating member adapted to be engaged by either of said levers for mechanically transmitting a force from said condition responsive element to said control valve unit, and pressure controlled means for disengaging said levers from said valve operating member selectively.

7. In a control device, in combination, a control element, first linkage means for operating said control element, second linkage means for operating said control element, a lever inter-connecting said linkage means, a condition responsive element acting on said lever at a point intermediate its ends, and means adapted selectively to move said first linkage means of a predetermined position and simultaneously place saidcontrol element under the control of said condition responsibe means through said second linkage means or to move said second linkage means to a predetermined position and simultaneously place said control element under the control of said condition responsive means through said first linkage means.

8. In a pneumatic control instrument, in combination, a control valve for determining the pressure in a control line, a condition responsive element, first linkage means adapted to mechanically transmit forces developed by said element upon variations in the value of said condition to said valve in a manner to raise the pressure in the control line on an increase in the value of the condition, second linkage means adapted to mechanically transmit forces developed by said element upon variation in the value of said condition to said valve in a manner to lower the pressure in the control line on an increase in the value of the condition, and means for. rendering said first or said second linkage means movable selectively to transmit forces developed by said element to said valve.

9. In a condition responsive device, in combination, a control element, a condition responsive element, first and second mechanical linkage means adapted to mechanically transmit forces developed by said condition responsive element upon variations in the value of said condition to said control element, said means for rendering said first or said second linkage means movable selectively to transmit forces developed by said condition responsive element to said control element.

10. In a condition responsive device, in combination, a control element, a condition responsive element,'first and second mechanical linkage means adapted to mechanically transmit the force produced by said condition responsive element to said control element, means for rendering said first or said second linkage means effective selectively to transmit force produced by said condition responsive element to said control element, and means associated with said first and said second linkage means for adjusting the value of the condition at which said condition responsive element actuates said control element.

FREDERICK D. JOESTING.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION. Patent No. 2,510,295. lgebruary 9, 194.5.

' FREDERICK D. JOESTING.

It is herebycertified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 11., first column, line 26, claim 7, for "of" read --to-; first column, line 29, for "responsibe" read --responsive--; and second column, lire 20, claim 9, for "said" second occurrence, read "and"; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office. I

Signed and. sealed this 20th day of April, A. n. 1915.

Henry Van Arsdale, I (Seal) Acting commissioner of Patents. 

